Spaghetti With Broccoli Rabe And Sausage

If you do not like broccoli rabe because of its slightly bitter taste, try this recipe. By cooking the broccoli rabe in salted water and then sauteeing it in garlic and onions, any hint of bitterness is removed.

1 1/2 Pounds Spaghetti

3/4 Pound Of Hot Or Sweet Italian Sausage In Casing

1 1/2 Pounds Of Broccoli Rabe Cleaned With All But One Inch Of The Stems Removed

Three Minced Garlic Cloves

Two Tablespoons Of Finely Chopped Spanish Onion

The Juice Of 1/2 Lemon

Four Tablespoons Of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Divided

1/2 Teaspoon Of Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

Three Tablespoons And 1/2 Teaspoon Of Sea Salt, Divided

Fill a large pot with water and three tablespoons of sea salt. Bring the water to a boil. Add the broccoli rabe. Cover and cook for four minutes. Remove the broccoli rabe and let it drain in a colander. Save the cooking water in the pot. Begin cooking the spaghetti in this cooking water according to the package instructions until al dente (soft but firm to the tooth).

Into a skillet, add the sausage links and one tablespoon of olive oil. Cook on medium heat until the sausage is browned. Remove the sausage. Add the garlic, onions, and crushed red pepper flakes into the skillet. Cook on medium low heat for three minutes.

Cut the sausage links into 1/4 inch circles. Add the cut sausage back into the skillet. Add the broccoli rabe and 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt. Stir all of the ingredients together. Add 3/4 cup of the pasta cooking water to the skillet. Cook the sausage and broccoli rabe on medium heat stirring occasionally for five minutes.

After the spaghetti is al dente, drain the pasta in a colander. Add the spaghetti back in to the pot it was cooked in. Add three tablespoons of olive oil and stir so that the spaghetti gets coated with the olive oil. Add the broccoli rabe and the sausage. Cook all of the ingredients on medium heat stirring well for three minutes. Turn off the heat.